The original Doink, Matt Osborne, found dead

Matt Osborne, the man who was the original Doink the clown in WWE, passed away yesterday. He was found dead by his girlfriend in their Texas residence. He was 55 years old.

Osbourne started with WWE in 1992, appearing ringside among fans pulling tricks and distracting wrestlers during live shows.

He portrayed the character of Doink for a year and was then replaced by Ray Apollo after he started abusing drugs again. He reprised the role of Doink at the RAW 15th Anniversary show, participating in the Legends battle royal.

Osborne wrestled in WCW as Big Josh and also briefly in ECW.

No cause of death has been reported.

WWE has released a short statement on their website saying, “WWE is saddened by the news of Osborne’s passing. Our deepest condolences go out to Osborne’s family, friends and fans.”